Intimate Partner Violence and Femicide in Ecuador

Santiago Boira; Lucia Tomas-Aragones; Nury Rivera

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.13.3.03

Authors

Santiago Boira University of Zaragoza, Spain
Lucia Tomas-Aragones University of Zaragoza, Spain
Nury Rivera Technical University of the North, Ecuador

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.13.3.03

Keywords:

Intimate Partner Violence, Femicide, Public Policies, Ecuador, Ecological Model

Abstract

This article analyzes intimate partner violence and femicide in Ecuador from an ecological perspective. The qualitative study, involving the participation of 61 individuals, took place in the province of Imbabura and was based on eight interviews with qualified experts and seven focus groups made up of professionals from the field of social and public services. The study comprises: a) the characterization of the dynamic of violence and risk of femicide; b) the analysis of the microsystem in relation to the family, neighbors, and professionals; c) an examination of the institutional response; and d) the assessment of the patriarchal culture, the role of the church, and indigenism. The results point to the permanence of a naturalized, chauvinistic culture, the lack of an effective network of resources to support victims, and a rigid administrative structure. As a consequence, victims have little confidence in public institutions, rates of reporting and prosecuting cases of violence are very low, and there is a perception that the aggressors are able to act with impunity, increasing the risk of severe violence and femicide.

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Author Biographies

Santiago Boira, University of Zaragoza, Spain

Santiago Boira graduated in Psychology from the University of Salamanca (Spain) and received his PhD from the University of Zaragoza (Spain). He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Sociology and a coordinator of the Master’s degree in gender relations at the University of Zaragoza. His research interests focus on gender issues, intimate partner violence, especially in men abusers. He is a member of the network “Femicide across Europe,” Cost Action IS1206. He is also a researcher of the Group of Social and Economic Studies of the Third Sector (GESES).
Lucia Tomas-Aragones, University of Zaragoza, Spain

Lucia Tomas-Aragones is from Zaragoza, Spain. She has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Zaragoza where she teaches as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. She also works as a researcher in a Hospital in Aragon, and has worked in various therapeutic programs addressing intimate partner violence, both with women and with men. She has participated in several gender research projects.
Nury Rivera, Technical University of the North, Ecuador

Nury Rivera h as a d egree i n E xecutive S ecretariat (in Spanish) from the Technical University of the North (Ecuador) and a degree in Technology in Public Management. She is currently working at the Center of Excellence in Information Technology CEIT-UTN, Technical University of the North. She has been a Research Assistant in the project: Femicide and Violence against Women in Intimate Partner Relationships: Victims, Offenders and Police Intervention, as part of Prometheus Program of the National Secretariat of Higher Education (SENESCYT) of the Government of Ecuador.

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